One of the beautiful sample fans Diane brought to show. Like this photo? SCROLL DOWN FOR MANY MORE PHOTOS OF TANGLED FANS...

I was lucky enough to go to two workshops for CZTs (Certified Zentangle® Teachers) in Connecticut the other day, and we spent the morning with Diane Yaciuk, CZT, learning how to create tangled fans. I was fascinated. So fascinated, I never got to tangle my own fan. That's why this post is about other people's work.

Diane is a marbled paper addict and expert. Check out her work on Facebook HERE. Somewhere along the line, she became interested in Zentangle and fans, and she began the workshop with a little history and a lot of examples to inspire us.

Diane showing two of her fans (I think the fan on the right may have been done by one of her students, but I'm not certain).

Calligraphed words along with the tangles...

I'm usually not so careless as to get my finger in a photo. Apologies.

Not only was the workshop itself completely absorbing, but Diane also told us the story behind the paper used in the fans. It's made in Vietnam, in a rural village with no other source of income, and the tradition is in danger of dying out. Some of the papers (see the black paper at the top below) take 100+ steps to create. You cannot believe how luscious these papers are. They have no chemicals or sizing. They are thick and sturdy. Some have tooth and some are very smooth. Diane is starting to sell the papers in order to help the town. You can read all about this HERE (don't miss the videos and fascinating history) and other tabs on that site will lead you to other things Diane's involved in (including her fabulous scarves). The paper story is very compelling. We each got to go home with one of each of the papers. I can't wait to experiment with mine.

Photo of some of the paper samples below. And underneath that are more photos of in-progress fans that I took as participants in the workshop began to tangle on their own fans. Prepare to drool!

Vietnamese handmade papers

After a brief introduction and some good instructions, participants started to work on their own fans. I had permission to take these photos, and was so busy wandering around that I never got my own fan started. But I hope to begin working on it soon. Thanks to all those who allowed me to take photos...especially as I cannot credit most of you because I can't remember who was working on what! Oy.

in progress

in progress

in progress

in progress

IN PROGRESS. ...Well actually, this is the start of the linework for my own fan! Finally. That is Kathy Barringer's wonderful tangle "Antique" at the top of the fan, and Chase Messineo's tangle "Ziggle" right underneath (that tangle isn't finished). Plus random linework at the bottom. The finished fan (I added color and more FineTec) is more toward the end of this post.

This (and the next 2 photos) I do remember was Susanne Crisafi's fan-in-progress. I remember because Suzanne told us she's going through a "Delft Phase" and her blues were just wonderful. See her next steps below.

In progress. See caption in the photo immediately above this one for more details. Finished fan is next.

A full six days after the workshop, I finally finished my own fan. That FineTec gold is very tricky to capture in a photo, at least in the evening. Also used a Black Jellyroll and some Prismacolor pencils. I think I will become a fan-aholic next.

Diane thought of everything. Here was her "fan"-tastic kit. Alas, I pulled off the pretty ribbon that she had wrapped around it before I took this photo. This was a fabulous workshop. Thank you Diane!

SOME OF THE BOOKS DIANE BROUGHT TO SHOW. She has a larger collection at home.

Aren't those finished pieces wonderful? I need to get busy on doing my own. Every summer I reach for a fan when it gets hot and humid. Now I'm curious about their history as well as their practical uses. Time to do some research.

Check back on this post occasionally. I may be updating it, as I am on the trail of getting permission to post other fans as they are finished. Thank you Diane, for one inspiring and very fine workshop.

Next post: The afternoon was equally impressive. I'll keep that topic under wraps for a bit. I hope to have it up in a couple of days.